NY governor kicks off California-style emission cuts

Offering few specifics, Gov. David Paterson recently approved an agreement for New York to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by the year 2050.

On Aug. 6, Paterson signed an executive order to prepare a climate action plan to create several bodies to come up with a draft Climate Action Plan by Sept. 30, 2010.

“Climate change is the most pressing environmental issue of our time,” Paterson said in a statement. “By taking action, we send a signal that New Yorkers will do our share to address the climate crisis, and we will do it in a way that creates opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship to flourish.”

Paterson created a climate Action Council charged with preparing the draft climate plan by next year. He said the council also will inventory emissions sources and identify short-term and long-term actions to cut emissions across all economic sectors, including transportation.

The order included less than one typewritten page of specifics, declaring lastly that the Climate Action Plan is intended to be a “dynamic and continually evolving strategy” and not a static plan.